1623 Studios Podcasts

Resolution at Sea — Writing to be Read (Bonus Episode)

In this bonus episode, John Curtis Perry describes his practical methodology for writing with the reader in mind, helps writers navigate the rocky shores of stilted or formulaic prose, and celebrates the joy of carefully crafting text.

Resolution at Sea — Postlude (Ep 37)

In this final episode, the postlude book-ending the Revolution at Sea series, John Curtis Perry adds a few words as a sort of summary of our time together.

"Together we have thought about some aspects of how the world of the terracentric has interacted with the world of the salt water (71% of the planet). We are living in a time of immense and rapid change as we grapple with the many dimensions of globalism that the ocean has provided to humanity, while serving as avenue, arena, and source, a shaper of the human experience.

I hope that my remarks may have contributed to your understanding of what this means in the examples I have drawn from the past, and perhaps even to think about the implications for today."—John Curtis Perry.

Revolution at Sea — China’s Oceanic Rebirth (Ep 36)

Millions of Chinese rise from poverty and support an authoritarian state with global ambitions for prominence. The Chinese declare that their system is superior to democracy. What does this mean for Americans?

Revolution at Sea — China Sails Ahead (Ep 35)

Under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership, China opens to the outside world and builds a highly successful export economy. Logistics come first, Deng says.

Revolution at Sea — China in its First Revolutionary Years (Ep 34)

“China stands up,” Mao says. At immense cost, China struggles in its early PRC years to make enormous political, economic, and social changes.

Revolution at Sea — An Atlantic Model for China (Ep 33)

Having begun our discussion with China, we now return to it. We begin by looking at the nineteenth century when the Atlantic powers seized and occupied many ports, giving China an idea of what the outside world was like and what it then considered to be modern. For China, an age of bitterness.

Revolution at Sea — Korea’s New Oceanic Mode (Ep 32)

"South Korea, a severely impoverished nation in the 1950s had always been a continental state. Now isolated from the mainland by international politics, Korea has turned to the sea. In a remarkably short time it has made itself a rich maritime power.

[Correction: South Korea and Japan normalized relations in 1965, not 1963.]

Revolution at Sea — Japan in the New Pacific (Ep 31)

Japan, the first Asian nation to develop an export-driven economy, becomes a leader in salt water commerce. It has become the world’s third largest economy and plays an important role in international affairs.

Revolution at Sea — A New Pacific (Ep 30)

Although Eurocentrism has been strong, some Americans, like President Theodore Roosevelt, think about a dawning Pacific era. In the early 1980s, for the first time trade flows across the North Pacific exceeded those across the North Atlantic, with shipping reflecting a changing world economy. The greatest seaports lie now on the Asian coast.

Revolution at Sea — A New Maritime Society (Ep 29)

Waterfronts are no longer densely populated because ships need more space than cities can provide. Sailors now spend only hours in port instead of days. They no longer see the world. A sense of community is lost.